An unusual marketing "trick" that worked well for Deluxe Reading and later copycat toy companies such as Remco.ĭeluxe Reading produced many memorable toys including the Johnny Lightning cars (similar to Mattel's Hot Wheels), the Crime-Buster Gun (similar to the O.M.A only geared towards kids play-acting cops and robbers), the Operation X-500 Space Base and others. By creating large, colorful boxes, the space could be used to market to the children that always accompanied parents while food shopping.
Deluxe Reading was famous for creating huge package playsets that could be seen by children when viewing the top, unusable shelf in grocery store chains. Deluxe Reading used the Topper Toys brand to add a modern flair to their new product lines. Topper also marketed additional toy accessories to be used with the Johnny Seven O.M.A including a helmet and walkie-talkies. The cap firing pistol could be removed from the gun. The bullets are fed into the chamber by a spring loaded bolt.Ī lever is pulled to create a "rat-a-tat" noise. The firing button is on the left side of the rifle.ġ2 white bullets are fired from a fixed magazine on the rifle. The firing button is placed underneath the launcher.Īrmour-Piercing Shell / Anti-bunker MissileĪ large green shell which is spring launched from the front of the rifle directly underneath the front sight of the rifle. The launcher extends upwards, and the spring loaded grenade is launched by depressing a button on the side of the rifle.Ī red missile fired from a launcher located on the right of the main rifle shaft. ]Ī grenade launcher is located on the main body, above the pistol grip. The toy when fully assembled is over three feet long and weighs about 4 pounds. The stock can be removed to shorten the weapon while in Tommy Gun mode.
The weapon features a working bipod that provides stability for the various rockets and grenade. The rockets and grenade also fire via spring-action. The main ammunition includes various sized white bullets that "shoot" from the barrels via spring-action. ]Īll of the firing mechanisms are attached to the main rifle assembly - the pistol inserts from the bottom to provide the rifle grip (the pistol also hold caps for authentic firing sounds). The toy is no longer made, and has become a collector's item. It has an interesting number of features, including seven different actions (thus the "Seven" in the name). was the best selling boys' toy of 1964, ] (according to sales reports provided by two industry magazines of that year, Playthings and Toys & Novelties)] and was marketed heavily on children's television. (One Man Army) is a multi-function toy weapon produced by Deluxe Reading under their Topper Toys toyline, and released in 1964. The offerings included an Armored Battalion, Fire Brigade, Service Station, and a sport car-based Speed Set.įor a more detailed look at the entire Johnny Seven line, checkout this advertising booklet from 1964.Įxplore classic toys and games that captured our attention and never let go.Johnny Seven O.M.A. Johnny Seven playsets came fully assembled and packaged in brightly-coloured, illustrated boxes with eye-catching graphics designed to appeal to children. Topper doubled-down on the toy gun’s popularity with the release of additional Johnny Seven military equipment, including the Microhelmet Phone Set, a plastic helmet with tinted visor, adjustable chin strap, walkie-talkie telephone, and retractable antenna – as well as a Combat Phone Set that included two walkie-talkie phones connected by 30-feet or wire. became one of the best-selling boy’s toys in its first year. Thanks heavy television marketing, the Johnny Seven O.M.A.
(One Man Army) toy gun, touted as “seven guns in one.” Depending on their playtime mission, kids could assemble and disassemble the toy into a Tommy gun, grenade launcher, anti-tank rocket launcher, armour-piercing shell launcher, tripod-mounted rifle, repeating rifle, and an automatic pistol. The crown jewel of the line was the Johnny Seven O.M.A.
Johnny 7 oma series#
Marketed exclusively to boys, the series consisted of playsets and realistic facsimiles of military equipment. The Johnny Seven toy line from Topper Toys was introduced in 1964 by – Topper was a subsidiary of Elizabeth, New Jersey-based toy manufacturer, Deluxe Reading.
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